Muhammad and Human Rights Essay

Submitted By kpreeya1
Words: 1560
Pages: 7

H u m a n
BY THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST BENEFICENT, THE MOST MERCIFUL

Human Rights in Islam
Surely Allah enjoins justice and kindness, and giving to the kinsfolk, and He forbids lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He instructs you in order that ye may take heed (16:90)
According to Islam, all human beings are equal and form one universal community. At the centre of this community is the confession of the onesness of Allah, which, by extension, affirms the oneness and equality of all humanity. When one acknowledges that Allah is the absolute and sole proprietor of the universe, that He has bestowed dignity and honour upon humankind, and that
He has breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that all human beings are essentially the same. Any differences found between human beings must, therefore, be superficial, such nationality, colour, or race.
The western model of human rights is founded on theories that were formulated during the enlightenment, by such thinkers as Rousseau, Mill, Kant, and Locke.
According to these models, consent forms the basis for all laws. As such, a state can be established in any geographical area where the inhabitants agree to be governed by a consentual law making process. In such systems, human rights are flexible, and can change according to the whims of the people.
Islam asserts that the fundamental rights and privileges that Allah has given to humanity can never be taken away or changed, even temporarily, by anyone or for any reason.
Human rights are granted by the Creator, not his creation, and apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The hungry must be fed, the destitute must be given shelter, and the sick must be given medical treatment regardless of their pro or anti-Islamic sentiments and activities. The Qur’an declares that human rights are universal, and that all individuals are to enjoy and observe them under all circumstances - even in war - regardless of where one is living. Human rights are meant to be implemented and lived out; they are not meant to remain in the annals of unenforceable philosophical treatises or in United Nations declarations. Every Muslim is required to accept them and recognize the people’s right to have them enforced and obeyed. R i g h t s

i n

I s l a m

Human Rights in an Islamic State:
The Sanctity of Life:
Human blood is sacred and cannot be spilled without justification. Violating this rule is equivalent to killing all of humanity: ...Whosoever kills a human being not in retaliation for manslaughter nor for corruption in the land, it is as if he had killed all mankind, and whosoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.
(5:32)

Security of Property:
In his farewell address to his followers, Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said:
“Nothing that belongs to a Muslim is legitimate to another
Muslim unless it is given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.”

The Qur’an denounces fraud in all social interactions, and reprimands those who deal with their fellow human beings unjustly: Woe to the defrauders, who, when they take the measure (of their dues) from men, they take it fully. But when they measure out to others or weigh out for them, they are deficient. Do they not think that they will be called to account? (83:1-4)

Right to Privacy of the Individual:
The Qur’an guarantees one’s right to privacy: O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you abhor it! And be careful of
(your duty to) Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy),
Merciful.

Protection from Arbitrary Imprisonment:

Protection Against Slander
The Qur’an considers libel and slander to be a great offense: O you who believe, do not let one